Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 115: The Invitation

Of course, when a spirit core is refined and used during the Foundation Establishment stage, the pure spiritual energy within it can also provide some assistance in the transformation of mana into the first drop of liquid.

For a direct descendant of a family with a Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge, this spirit core, thanks to the family's support, is still something that can be obtained if one is willing to pay a certain price.

However, for Tong Bingfeng, who came from a humble background, there was no way to purchase such items through normal channels. Perhaps some shops in the Ice Sea Market had similar spiritual items as their prizes, but cultivators in the Qi Refining stage were usually not qualified to buy them.

By sheer chance, one might obtain a spirit core, which would likely attract the covetous eyes of others. As a cultivator who has struggled at the bottom of the cultivation world, I have firsthand experience of the principle that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

As for the so-called secrecy, all the shops' guarantees are invalid in the face of some truly influential monks.

If Tong Bingfeng hadn't been so careful and never sold the crystal gourd, it might have fallen into the sights of the Chen family's direct lineage cultivators and suffered various mishaps long ago.

"Before advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, this spirit core can only be kept as a treasured possession, and its existence must not be leaked in any way."

Tong Bingfeng secretly made up his mind that after collecting all the valuable spoils of war, he would erase all traces of the battle before leaving the area.

Although the combined effects of low temperatures and cold winds could erase all traces and scents overnight, Tong Bingfeng still chose to eliminate them manually to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

As a qualified cultivator, he must maintain an unprecedented level of calm in the face of great treasures, eliminating all potential dangers in their infancy.

After collecting all the spoils, including the spirit cores, Tong Bingfeng had already made up his mind not to continue lingering in the depths of the Ice Domain.

With the spirit core in hand, only by quickly returning to the spirit ice mine can I feel at ease. Although this trip was not long, the series of opportunities was quite abundant.

Not only did his cultivation level successfully advance to the eighth level of Qi Refining, but he also obtained a rare auxiliary magic artifact such as the Seven-Colored Spirit-Gathering Pearl, and his spirit core was also perfectly completed.

After embarking on his return journey, Tong Bingfeng once again chose a cautious route, avoiding the lair of every monster as much as possible to prevent any conflict from breaking out.

As its cultivation level increased, the auxiliary effect of Big Fang naturally became even more outstanding, allowing it to successfully choose the appropriate route to pass through each monster's lair.

At noon the next day, Tong Bingfeng successfully returned to the Spirit Ice Mine. Although he was still deep in the ice domain, he felt a sense of security from the bottom of his heart under the protection of the great formation.

However, the spirit ice mine was bustling with activity now, a stark contrast to its previous desolation. One could see cultivators coming to purchase mid-to-low-grade first-tier spirit ice.

Outside the coverage area of ​​the Canglan Fuyue Formation, a temporary trading point even formed, with several cultivators setting up stalls to sell various unique spiritual items.

Tong Bingfeng traveled without attracting the attention of any cultivators. After all, although the Spirit Ice Mine relied on his reputation to establish itself, very few cultivators had actually seen him or even met him once.

While most of the cultivators who come to the Spirit Ice Mine to purchase mid-to-low-grade first-tier spirit ice are in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, it is normal to occasionally see a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Liu Zong was responsible for managing all the daily affairs within the spirit ice mine. Although he was freed from the hard labor of mining spirit ice, the daily welcoming and seeing off of people still required a considerable amount of energy.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, this Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator only had time to quickly greet Tong Bingfeng before plunging back into his work, skillfully handling the sale of spirit ice to cultivators with different needs.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, it has been almost a year since you left. During this time, the sale of spirit ice has been extremely brisk. Apart from the portion handed over to the Chen family, the rest can basically be sold out on the same day."

"Due to the overwhelming demand, I have taken the initiative to use the spirit stones obtained from selling spirit ice to purchase two more mining golems. Currently, the innermost third of this spirit ice mine has been mined out, and the remaining portion can last for at most two years."

That evening, Liu Zong gave a brief overview of the current situation of the Spirit Ice Mine. With such a booming sale, the mining speed of the mine was far exceeding the normal speed.

Given their reckless and short-sighted mining methods, it essentially means that this spirit ice vein has no chance of being restored.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, you've worked hard. Managing a spirit ice mine is no easy task. However, the current mining method can only last for a year at most, and the already mined areas need to be filled in in a timely manner. The remaining third of the mine needs to be left with some vitality."

"Furthermore, regarding the sale of spirit ice, it must be stopped within six days before and after the Chen family's envoy comes to collect it, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."

As one's cultivation level increases and there is no intention to leave Ice Spirit Island in the short term, it is essential to leave behind a relatively stable escape route.

Better safe than sorry, and he would naturally prefer to maximize his profits whenever possible.

"Fellow Daoist Tong is right. I have been a little too complacent lately. The popularity of the Spirit Ice Mine today is entirely due to your protection."

"This storage bag contains a total of 6,500 spirit stones, which is your share according to our proportions. In addition, there is an invitation to an auction from the central trading point, which is only open to cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage."

After a brief exchange, the fervent smugness on Liu Zong's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a solemnity and seriousness.

After all, for cultivators, everything else is just external possessions except for their own cultivation level. If their cultivation level cannot advance to the seventh level of Qi Refining and enter the threshold of the late stage of Qi Refining, then once the spirit ice mine is fully mined, everything today will no longer be relevant to them.

After handing over the divisions, Liu Zong took his leave and returned to his stone chamber to recuperate.

"We've been working together for a while now, and I hope that before our stay at the Spirit Ice Mine ends, we can take this crucial step. Six thousand five hundred spirit stones is a reasonable amount, but I wonder what the scale and quality of this so-called auction will be?"

Tong Bingfeng stuffed the storage bag containing spirit stones into his pocket. This was his due, so there was no need for any extra formalities.

His attention then shifted to a gold-embossed invitation, scheduled for ten days from now, to be held at the central trading point.

"The fact that this underground auction chose such a flashy invitation is something that could only happen in the Ice Region, where the emperor is far away and the Chen family is unable to manage things meticulously."

After carefully examining the invitation inside and out, Tong Bingfeng finally understood the true nature of the so-called auction from its brief description.